Muslim reactions to the era of Donald Trump, from a Muslim woman who escaped a 'hijab grab' to a pro-Trump Muslim feminist.

In Self-Defense Class, Learning to Avoid a 'Hijab Grab'

December 17, 2016

In a church basement in Washington, DC, a dozen Muslim women are learning how to look an attacker in the eye and use their "outside voice." With an uptick in bias-related incidents before--and after--the presidential election, demand has also risen for self-defense classes to help Muslim women prevent, or escape, attack. Rana Abdelhamid, the founder of a women's empowerment group that runs the class, weighs in with her personal story of a "hijab grab." And a mother attending the class tells us why she brought her two daughters. Produced by Ruth Morris.

Yuka Fujikura is a 90-year-old survivor of a Japanese-American internment camp. Zahra Riaz is a 17-year-old Muslim college student. They sat down together to share their stories, now that their very different situations have been connected: In mid-November, a prominent Trump supporter suggested that Donald Trump’s Muslim registry proposal had precedent because “We did it during World War II with Japanese.” Produced by Abigail Holtzman.

Zahra: What advice do you have for me?Yuka: Don’t forget your history. Know your past. Don’t forget it, but don’t become bitter or hateful. Look forward. Move on, move on. And if you can, move on with a smile. It helps.

A picture of one of the internment camps where Yuka and her family lived. Conditions were inhumane, and the schooling available for children was unaccredited and poor quality.

Asra Nomani: Muslim. Feminist. Trump Voter.

December 17, 2016

Close your eyes and imagine a typical Trump voter. Who do you see? Well, it’s probably not Asra Nomani. Nomani is a life-long liberal and former reporter for the Wall Street Journal. She is also a feminist and an activist. But sometime around this summer's Pulse night club shooting, she started to find herself at odds with many of her friends and colleagues. And she began to harbor a secret. Her Washington Post op-ed on being a "silent Trump voter" received more comments than any other article in her journalism career.

Carrie Newcomer is a Quaker singer-songwriter who lives out in the woods near Bloomington, Indiana. She sings about embracing our shared values, searching for moments of beauty, and being present in our own lives. So that got us thinking: after this bitter election season, we’ll have what she's having. She joins producer Laura Kwerel for an in-studio performance of songs that seem especially fitting after this combative and contentious election, including "You Can Do This Hard Thing."
Carrie Newcomer's new album is called The Beautiful Not Yet.

Carrie performed live in the WAMU studios on Dec 9, 2016. Hear the full recordings below.

Podcast Extra: Noor Tagouri

December 17, 2016

Noor Tagouri is a Muslim journalist who made history recently when she appeared in Playboy magazine’s Renegade series… fully clothed, wearing a leather jacket, dark lipstick, and a hijab. She talks to producer Abigail Holtzman about how she's able to connect with interview subjects on a deeper level. She says they see her--a Muslim woman who wears hijab--as a natural ally, someone who will tell their story fairly because she knows what it's like to be misrepresented.

Podcast Extra: Yuka and Zahra, Extended Version

December 17, 2016

There is so much more to our conversation between Yuka Fujikura and Zahra Riaz. Hear a longer version here.